Neighbors relieved after former Antioch High student arrested for rape of pregnant woman

by Kathleen Serie

Metro Police

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) —

The teen accused of raping and robbing a 30-year-old pregnant woman at her Antioch apartment has been placed behind bars.

Metro Police arrested 17-year-old Dantis Lakka-Lako, a former Antioch High student, on Tuesday, the suspect’s birthday. Lakka-Lako was withdrawn on Aug. 3 with a note that he was moving to California.

Police said he is charged with aggravated rape, aggravated robbery, and aggravated burglary after last Wednesday’s brutal assault on a 30-year-old pregnant woman inside of her apartment at the Overlook Apartment Complex in Antioch.

Police said she jumped out of her third story window to escape her attacker.

It’s a horrific crime that had the Antioch community holding its breath until the suspect was taken off the streets.

Kelly Taylor, an avid runner who lives just down the street from the Overlook Apartments, said she stopped running outside after last Wednesday’s crime.

“Ever since the rape happened, I kind of just stayed at home, worked out at the house, went to the gym, and when he was caught I was able to get back out here and get running again,” Taylor said.

Now, the mace she carries when she runs is even more important.

“Antioch can sometimes get a bad reputation, but there are really good people here that live here and work here and contribute to the community, so when you hear about something like this, you wonder why, why over here, why do you chose us?” Taylor said.

Police connected Lakka-Lako to the crime after finding the victim’s vehicle, which was stolen after the rape, at the Hickory Trace Apartments where the 17-year-old suspect lives.

The car was then forensically analyzed for evidence, leading to officers serving a warrant for Lakka-Lako’s DNA Tuesday.

Police said what Lakka-Lako said in the interview led to his arrest.

Throughout their investigation, officers also discovered that a person matching Lakka-Lako’s description used one of the victim’s stolen credit cards at a Bell Road convenience store four times on Thursday and Friday.

Moving forward, it will be determined whether the 17-year-old will be tried as a juvenile or as an adult.

“Generation over generation, I just think people just don’t care about anything anymore, so they just do whatever they want, and I think people do try to stop it, but people get away with it, like the guy who just turned 17,” life-long Antioch Resident Ceepal Yasin said.